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Valedictorian Rips Up Speech And Recites Lord's Prayer

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Rob M. said:
So, since you don't agree with them, they can't use public resources? I agree with your point about using Government to force it, but we're talking about a silly school prayer by an individual student.

If Atheists have a problem with me using MY time to make a prayer (whether its a Muslim or not), then they're indeed a hateful group of bigots.
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He was not using HIS time, he was using EVERYONE'S time. That's the whole point. Whether or not I agree with someone is irrelevant, people cannot use public resources to proselytize their religious beliefs.

What if he thanked Darwin? I'm am quite sure they'd not only applaud that, but probably buy him dinner.🙄

This is really prejudice, when you think about it.
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The fact that you're trying to equate a scientist with a religious figure shows the fundamental problem here. We have laws against promoting RELIGION using public resources. We do not prohibit promoting science.

It seriously baffles me how Christians think that laws stopping them from forcing their religion on others somehow equates to Christians being persecuted. Just leave people alone and you will be fine.
 
TheVrolok said:
Personally, had I been there I would have simply sat there and daydreamed. However, the quoted piece above isn't entirely relevant to the OP. The student wasn't using his time to make a prayer, he was using everyone's time, including those who do not want to use their time in Christian prayer.
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Wow, so someone praying what, 30 seconds (the Lord's Prayer is short) in your presence is a violation of your Civil rights...so much so that you (generic you) have to start protesting?

What a waste of your time, and everyone else's..🙄

How petty has America gotten -- how stupid Atheists look making a freaking ruckus over 30 stupid seconds.

Just play on your iphone, or daydream as you say.
 
eskimospy said:
He was not using HIS time, he was using EVERYONE'S time. That's the whole point. Whether or not I agree with someone is irrelevant, people cannot use public resources to proselytize their religious beliefs.



The fact that you're trying to equate a scientist with a religious figure shows the fundamental problem here. We have laws against promoting RELIGION using public resources. We do not prohibit promoting science.

It seriously baffles me how Christians think that laws stopping them from forcing their religion on others somehow equates to Christians being persecuted. Just leave people alone and you will be fine.
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You don't realize how petty you sound -- I think this is nothing.. I don't give a crap what prayer he/she recites. I'm gonna sit there anyway, so as long as it isn't unreasonably long and critical of others not aligned with said religion, you sound extremely petty and bigoted... seriously.

You're wasting your time trying to preserve every public second and every public penny to non-religious talk. Its impossible, time wasting, and prejudice.
 
Rob M. said:
Wow, so someone praying what, 30 seconds (the Lord's Prayer is short) in your presence is a violation of your Civil rights...so much so that you (generic you) have to start protesting?

What a waste of your time, and everyone else's..🙄

How petty has America gotten -- how stupid Atheists look making a freaking ruckus over 30 stupid seconds.

Just play on your iphone, or daydream as you say.
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This is really simple. You obviously covet "your" time, but do not respect the time of others. If it's "your" time, everyone should just stfu and listen, but if they don't want "their" time spent, well, to bad, stfu and listen. Like I said, I personally don't care about the prayer, wouldn't phase me in the slightest. I'm simply stating that your "my time" argument is completely invalid.
 
Incorruptible said:
Good points. Many of these atheists have a deep hatred for Christians and will take any chance to attack them. Where were these same atheists when people of other religions pray in schools? They don't have a problem with Jews, Hindus or Muslims praying.

The separation of Church and state means that the state can't endorse a religion and it doesn't mean that religion must be kept out of public. Christians have the right to pray in public and atheists can't stop them.

These atheists are so full of hate and such hypocrites. They are nothing but a bunch of cowards.
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I've noticed a pattern in your posts. An atheist tries to push his beliefs on the public in general, he's attacking Christianity. A Christian tries to push his beliefs on the public and an atheist doesn't like it, he's a bigot and attacking Christianity. This is known as hypocrisy. Similar to how you often say someone has lost an argument because they resorted to insults and in the same breath insult them. You're really very bad at arguing any real points and have almost guaranteed converted no one to your position but dozens away from it.
 
TheVrolok said:
This is really simple. You obviously covet "your" time, but do not respect the time of others. If it's "your" time, everyone should just stfu and listen, but if they don't want "their" time spent, well, to bed, stfu and listen. Like I said, I personally don't care about the prayer, wouldn't phase me in the slightest. I'm simply stating that your "my time" argument is completely invalid.
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The time argument is completely invalid period. He wasn't giving a sermon -- he was thanking his God, which doesn't take hardly any time. And if someone thanking their own God irritates you so badly that you protest for 30 seconds you can't hope to get back, you are equivalent to a racist, and have serious hate issues to deal with. I'm no Muslim, but I'd be hard-pressed to find a legitimate reason to cause a ruckus over one thanking Allah, and making a big deal out of something as trivial as him thanking who he attributes his success in close proximity to my ears.

I am not saying anyone should pray -- personally, I think they shouldn't to avoid stuff like this, however, if they do then why mess up a perfectly good day watching your son/daughter graduate because you took issue with a religious person thanking God?

You were going to sit there for the 30 seconds anyway... this argument is simply based on "I don't want to spend 30 seconds hearing this". 🙄
 
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Rob M. said:
he was thanking his God,
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He could of done that just before bedtime
I'm not sure he collects more points if he does it in front of an audience?


He wasn't giving a sermon --
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I think he was giving a sermon
Probably the best one he will ever pull off, I'm guessing he will one day follow in his fathers footsteps
His Church will be packed
If there's a God out there, he knows what the kid was up to
Right? 😉
 
acts of disobedience against authority are healthy, and it is a healthy sign not too much mess came out of this. On the other hand how would the crowd have reacted if he had held a small nativity to Satan? Somehow I doubt the crowd would have reacted to his little act of disobedience then... but maybe I'm wrong and the religious folk in the crowd would have applauded his courage to protest the ban on prayer.

riiiiiiiiiiiigggggghhhhhhtttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

On the other hand I would have vomited on the hat in front of me and then stood up and delivered an eulogy to the one true god Ceres.
 
Rob M. said:
You don't realize how petty you sound -- I think this is nothing.. I don't give a crap what prayer he/she recites. I'm gonna sit there anyway, so as long as it isn't unreasonably long and critical of others not aligned with said religion, you sound extremely petty and bigoted... seriously.

You're wasting your time trying to preserve every public second and every public penny to non-religious talk. Its impossible, time wasting, and prejudice.
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Don't bother wasting time on him. The guy was going to make a speech anyways and hardly anyone got offended. This was an act of free speech and civil disobedience. If only more students were smart like this kid.
 
Rob M. said:
No -- they dislike all religion, period. I expect the same treatment if these were Muslims praying.

At any rate, I think it stinks of prejudice when petitions are protests are being made against persons wishing to express, publicly, their beliefs... and people in this thread are actually supporting prejudice.

???
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This is partly true, i don't like religion but i don't go out of my way telling people that atheism is truth nor do i make speeches about it in a public setting where it would be completely out of place.

UNFORTUNATELY, people like this kid will NOT return the favor and if i have the GALL to say anything about it i'm a bigot and a militant atheist?

His father is a pastor, i'm sure he can preach there where people actually go to hear it.
 
The irony in this story is delicious. The Bible says and I quote "THOU SHALT NOT LIE".

This kid gives a copy of his speech to the school that has no mention of God in it. He knew about the prohibition about interjecting God into the graduation ceremony. He knowingly LIED to the school about what he was going to say in his graduation ceremony. That is his testimony? I will LIE, CHEAT and STEAL to get my way? Nice.

Christians do as they SAY not as they DO! LMFAO!! Liars for Jesus.
 
bshole said:
The irony in this story is delicious. The Bible says and I quote "THOU SHALT NOT LIE".

This kid gives a copy of his speech to the school that has no mention of God in it. He knew about the prohibition about interjecting God into the graduation ceremony. He knowingly LIED to the school about what he was going to say in his graduation ceremony. That is his testimony? I will LIE, CHEAT and STEAL to get my way? Nice.

Christians do as they SAY not as they DO! LMFAO!! Liars for Jesus.
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Two simple questions: Have you ever lied? Do you think lying is wrong?
 
Doc Savage Fan said:
Two simple questions: Have you ever lied? Do you think lying is wrong?
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Lying is wrong unless the lie serves a greater purpose such as saving lives.

At least that is the way it works for non-christians that haven't been indoctrinated with "all sins are equal in the eyes of god (which comes from Pauls bullsheit, not from Jesus. Though christians of today are Paulists and OT selectors they are (almost) NEVER Christ-followers).

I have lied out of need many times, i have not lied out of convenience.
 
Incorruptible said:
I oppose fascism. If the student told the school about his plan then they probably wouldn't have let him do it. Society is becoming so pc and this kid took a stand.
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EDL have now burned one Mosque and one school, you think they are doing good.

Those are two acts of terrorism by the EDL, a group that you support.

You also support the fascist Pam Geller, a Jew that if you ask any sane Jew isn't anything but an insane bitch.

You have argued against Muslims been given the time to pray but for Christian banners at a public school sponsored event, against corporations having the freedom to say happy holidays if they so choose...

There is no doubt that you're a fascist, you are the very definition of fascist, look it up and you might even label yourself as one as it fits perfectly with your own opinions.

This kid didn't take a stand, he lied his arse off and then preached a religious prayer.

I'm sorry but if you want that kind of behaviour then go to Saudi Arabia, it seems to me that most christians want the US and the UK to be like a SA for Christians.

I AM glad that you call yourselves libertians rather than actual liberals though, because you HATE individual freedom more than any of the dictators in the ME.
 
Phanuel said:
And if instead read a passage from the Quran? You'd still support him yes?
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He'll say he does but he likes Pam Geller and the EDL and when the Muslims had a festival he argued that Christians should be able to disrupt it and have police protecting them as they did so.

He's a stormfronter that found his way here, a fascist, a neo nazist scumbag that should be dealt with the old way.
 
Phanuel said:
And if instead read a passage from the Quran? You'd still support him yes?
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Yes, if he found meaningful scripture in the Quran he wanted to share I would 100% support his doing so.

I wouldn't necessarily be cheering for him though. The difference between supporting what he says and his right to say it. The distinction is often lost amongst a certain subset of our population.
 
TerryMathews said:
Yes, if he found meaningful scripture in the Quran he wanted to share I would 100% support his doing so.

I wouldn't necessarily be cheering for him though. The difference between supporting what he says and his right to say it. The distinction is often lost amongst a certain subset of our population.
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What does your second paragraph even mean?
 
Phanuel said:
What does your second paragraph even mean?
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I don't believe in the Quran. In the hypothetical scenario given by the parent poster, I would not have been in the crowd cheering for him like the people were over the Lord's prayer.

But I do support his right to free speech, so I would not have made any move or comment indicating I wished to silence him.

I'm not sure how else to explain it to you? This concept is discussed at length regarding flag burning, maybe Google that?
 
Personally I think that this guy knew he had a mediocre (at best speech) so he got himself some notoriety by doing something "controversial".

Well played, sir, well played.

Mani said:
Somehow I doubt you would be supporting the student's "right to free speech" if he were Muslim and recited a prayer to Allah instead.
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Also some of his most ardent supporters would probably have a different reaction if he had recited a prayer for a another religion as was already suggested.

*edited for obvious grammar spelling mistakes*
 
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